A Prison Without Walls
by Syreene
Summary: The Doctor's curiosity gets the better of him as he and Martha travel back to Elizabethan England to try and figure out just what did he do to tick her off so much at the end of The Shakespeare Code?
1. Chapter 1

* * *

The sun was shining down over green fields as a flock of sheep came over the hill, followed soon after by a tall lanky man in a brown overcoat and blue suit, his hands in his pockets and his face looking to the sky with a smile. "Ahh…..England…you've got to love the 16th Century, Martha!" 

A young dark skinned woman walked up over the hill, tugging at the skirt of her peasant outfit. "Easy for you to say, Doctor…you get to wear pants." With a huff she blew her falling bangs from her pinned up hair out of her eyes. "I don't know how they managed with so many layers of clothes…"

"As much as I agree that you're wearing far to many clothes, Martha," the Doctor said with a cheeky grin as he walked behind her and helped her adjust her bustier and skirt, "You've got to admit that some great things happened in this period in history. Leonardo Da Vinci begins painting the Mona Lisa, Magellan circles the Earth for the first time, we're talking the height of the English Renaissance here!" He finished adjusting Martha's costume and leaned over her shoulder, reaching out his hand to wave it over the horizon. "Martin Luther starts a religious revolution by nailing his problems to a door, your verbose suitor Will Shakespeare is born…"

Martha tried to cover up a laugh with her hand as the Doctor continued, "and the letter 'J' joins the alphabet for the first time! Can you imagine what it must have been like? Now people all over England could finally 'jump for joy' instead of '-ump for -oy!'" Martha lost it and doubled over as she laughed out loud, the Doctor's grin growing wide.

Martha finally caught her breath as the giggles subsided and looked at the Doctor questioningly. "You forgot to mention a big one though." The Doctor's eyebrow rose and Martha continued, "Queen Elizabeth? You do remember her, right? Last time we saw her she was cursing your name and shooting at you…now here we are in her era. Are you actually _trying_ to get us into trouble?"

"I'm wounded, Martha," the Doctor replied with a hurt look as he put a hand to his chest, "that you would think I'd purposely go out and try and get us into trouble." Martha just looked at him with a raised eyebrow as she put her hands to her hips. The Doctor looked at her and tugged at his ear, a chagrined look spreading across his face. "Well…I mean….aren't you curious?"

Martha tried to hold her stern look, but she couldn't resist the grin that broke out as she kicked at the ground. "All right…you got me; I've been curious ever since we ran off."

"Ah-ha, I knew it!" The Doctor exclaimed as he grabbed Martha by the waist and whirled her around in a hug. "Your urge to always know the answers is commendable, Doctor Jones." He set her down and took her hand in his. "Now let's go see what time has in store for us, eh?"

Martha looked at the view from the top of the hill and noticed a low, wide building with smoke coming from a chimney and various horses and carriages out front. A stable was off to the side, and people were coming in and out of the building. "How about there?" she asked as she pointed out the building to the Doctor. "It looks like it might be a tavern or something…"

"Capital idea! No better place than the local inn to get your bearings and pick up on the news of the day." They started down the hill and soon they were laughing together as momentum carried them into a run to see who could get there first.

The Doctor opened the door of the inn for Martha and her nose was immediately assaulted with a variety of smells: Beer, fresh bread, burning wood from the fireplace, smoke, cooked meat, and mud. The rest of the smells she didn't even want to try and identify as she waved a hand in front of her face and searched for a table. There wasn't a lot of people in the main area, so Martha found them a table in the corner as the Doctor sidled up to the counter.

"Good morrow to you sir!" said a burly bald man with thick hairy arms as he finished tying his apron and walked behind the counter. "Not many people are out and about this morning…is there something I can get for you and your lady?"

The Doctor searched through one of his pockets and drew out a handful of coins that clattered as they landed on the counter. "Two pints of your finest, and some bread and cheese if you would. People aren't out and about why? My friend and I are travelers who have recently come to London, and I am afraid we aren't current with the latest news."

The innkeeper swept the coins into his pocket and yelled to a serving maid that was putting mugs away. "Oy! Evelyn! Take care of our fine customers here, would ya?" He turned back to the Doctor and leaned forward over the counter. "This very day young Lady Elizabeth was taken to the Tower of London, milord, unjustly I might add between you and me. Mourners like to keep it private, and celebrators of such an event aren't welcome here at _La Belle Sauvage_, thank you very much."

The Doctor's eyes widened in surprise. "Elizabeth was sent to the Tower?" He turned around and leaned on the counter as he started counting on his fingers. "That makes this…1554…"

"March 18th, milord," the innkeeper answered helpfully. "Evelyn will bring your drinks and food to your table if there's nothing else I can get you."

The Doctor looked up distractedly. "What? Oh…yes, thank you very much for your help." He walked over to their table and sat next to Martha in the corner, who was wrapping her hands around a large mug of beer. "Martha…you're never going to guess what time it is!"

"Let me guess…it's 8:00 and we're missing _Eastenders_?" she asked with a smirk before she took a sip from her beer and coughed.

"It's May 18th, 1554…Elizabeth was just sent to the Tower of London, and…"

Suddenly the door to the inn opened and a worn looking man wearing a velvet cassock and chain shirt walked in. He took his broad velvet hat off and his spurs rang as he wearily sat in the corner opposite them. He placed his hat on the bench next to him and his head sunk to rest on his arms on the table. The innkeeper hurried over to him and bent down to whisper urgently in his ear. The man sighed deeply and his head shook left and right. The innkeeper quickly stumbled back and then ran back to the kitchen area.

"What is it? What's going on?" Martha asked worriedly after watching their exchange.

"I think we just walked into the middle of a rebellion…" the Doctor whispered. "Stay here," he said with a hand on her shoulder as he got up with his flagon and walked over to the moping man.

"You look like you've hit bottom, my friend," the Doctor said with a sigh as he sat down next to the man at the table and set down his beer.

"Teetering at the precipice…I can see the bottom, for my lady's light shows all. If I could block the darkness from her with my sacrifice, I'd wish immortality so I could do it for eternity," muttered the man forlornly. He looked up at the Doctor with sad, resigned eyes. "I love Elizabeth…I'd do all for her…but my actions have merely sent her to the mouth of Hell in that bloody Tower." His expression hardened as he sat up straighter. "It's too late for me to ever tell her now…but I will defend her to the end. That will have to be enough."

The Doctor glanced at Martha as he thought about the man's words. "I would've shared a similar fate such as you, friend…I count my blessings every day that she's more stubborn than me."

The man glanced at Martha and looked back at the Doctor with a smile. "Indeed, you have my blessings too, sir. It gives me hope for the next life…for my lady's stubbornness can change the world." He then stood up and donned his hat with a flourish before holding his hand out to shake with the Doctor. "I can delay Fate no longer…she calls my name and I must answer."

The Doctor stood up to shake hands with him, when suddenly the door to the inn burst open with armed soldiers bearing the crest of Queen Mary. Two of them grabbed the man's arms as another grabbed the Doctor whilst a fourth unfurled a scroll and began reading. "Sir Thomas Wyatt, you are hereto declared under arrest by the command of Her Royal Highness, the Queen of England for inciting riot and high treason against her personage. All sympathizers to the usurper Elizabeth and enemies of the Catholic Church and Queen Mary shall be imprisoned for further questioning and judgment."

Martha stood up with the flagon in her hands and a panicked look on her face as she looked from the Doctor to the group of armed soldiers. One hand slowly slipped to her pocket in her skirt to reach for her screwdriver, but the Doctor glanced at her in concern and shook his head quickly. _Don't, Martha…there's likely more of them outside._

The barmaid named Evelyn scurried out from the kitchen with an apron in her hands. "Sarah, I told you not to forget your apron again, didn't I? I swear…new help, eh?" She laughed nervously as she went up to the stunned Martha and tied the apron around her waist.

Not one to be slow on the uptake, Martha looked down at the apron and then at the flagon in her hand. "I'm so sorry, miss," she said meekly as she smoothed down the apron with her free hand. "I was so nervous being my first day and all I plum forgot…" She smiled weakly at Evelyn and glanced worriedly at the Doctor. _If you get yourself killed your next regeneration isn't going to hear the end of it…_

The Doctor stole a quick glance at Martha and smiled weakly. _At least you'll still be with me…but don't worry; I rather like this incarnation and don't plan on losing it anytime soon._

The soldier rolled closed the parchment and proceeded to walk out the door with Sir Wyatt and the Doctor. Martha chewed on her bottom lip as she watched them go, Evelyn's hand on her shoulder keeping her from running to the Doctor. After the door closed behind them Evelyn turned Martha to face her. "Ol' Pete didn't lie, Miss…we here at the Belle don't take kindly to the way things are going these days. If your man is taken to the Tower, I know some people who can help you get in to see him."

* * *

The Doctor rolled his shoulders the best he could to ease the discomfort of having his hands tied behind his back as the soldiers rode their horses through Ludlow Gate. Peasants did their best to make way for the Queen's soldiers through the crowded streets, some of them looking at them in sympathy…others salivating at the thought of another public hanging. He leaned over slightly to Sir Wyatt who was tied to the horse next to him. "So where do you think they're taking us?" he asked.

"We're taking you to Westminster to face judgment by the Privy Council, traitor," a dark haired soldier barked out contemptuously. "If you repent, maybe God will grant you a quick death!"

"Charming fellow," the Doctor whispered as he leaned back.

"Mary's paranoia has been great these past weeks…many people have been arrested in her name for public contempt…so much so that the prisons are overfilled with dissenters," Wyatt replied. "We could end up in the Tower, or held up in a church till it's our time." They came around a street corner and in the distance could be seen the tops of white towers looming over the other buildings. "Mayhap I might even steal a glance at my lady before the end…"

They made a turn down another street and at the end came to a large low building with stairs leading up the front. Marble columns and armed guards lined the outside of the building at intervals. "Time to stop your clatter and face your judgment in the Star Chamber," announced one of the soldiers. They rode to the end of the street and a number of young boys came running up to the horses to tend to them as they dismounted.

As they climbed the stairs and entered the building they were joined by another group of soldiers who had their own prisoners, from resigned old men to very scared young boys. Two large doors opened into a vast courtroom full of windows and all were pushed in and lined up against a railing dividing the room in two, the guards tying their bound hands to the railing so they could stand for judgment without fear of escape. The Doctor looked about him and sighed. _Every Renaissance has to have a dark time before it, unfortunately._

Doors at the far side of the room opened, and a herald wearing blue velvet and a feathered cap walked through and thumped a large staff against the floor. "All rise for Her Highness' Right Honorable Councilors, may God watch over them and Justice prevail!"

A line of bearded men wearing velvet robes filed into the room and sat in chairs behind a long desk on a raised dais at one end of the room. The one in the middle, a rather gaunt and narrow faced older man with a pointed beard leaned forward and banged a gavel on the desk.

"It is dire matters to the Queen indeed that this chamber needs be in session today, bailiff. What are the charges?"

The man in blue velvet set down his staff, unfurled a scroll, and began to read from it. "Milord, the charges are inciting riot and treason against Her Royal Highness Queen Mary, as well as against the Catholic Church. Sir Thomas Wyatt did attempt to instigate rebellion to prevent the marriage of our Queen to Felipe of Spain by attacking Kent, Rochester, and Gravesend."

"Dire matters indeed…" the councilor muttered as he rubbed his chin. "And the other men?"

"Sympathizers, aiders and abettors, milord." The bailiff then rolled up his scroll and picked up a packet of papers from a small desk which he gave to the councilmen. "The evidence, milord."

The councilors passed the documents back and forth as they scanned them, and after ten minutes or so the councilman in the middle banged his gavel on the desk. "Treason is not a matter that can be punished too severely. Take these men to the Tower that they might ruminate on their deeds and learn to beg God's forgiveness. If they cannot, then at least they shall not infect our good people with their evil deeds."

The councilman banged his gavel again, and then the councilmen stood as a group before filing out of the room. Guards came and began untying the prisoners from the railing as the Doctor whispered to a rather sober Wyatt, "So…now what?"

"Now I count my blessings that God sees fit for me to spend the rest of my days within the same prison as my lady," he answered, sighing deeply. "We head for the docks so that the barge may take us through Traitor's Gate to the Tower."

The Doctor was about to continue his questioning when the guards barked for silence and pulled the rope tying them to lead them out of the room.

_ I hope you're all right, Martha…I seem to be batting 1,000 when it comes to queens and mothers. Let's just hope I never meet the Queen Mother…I might destroy the Universe!_


	2. Chapter 2

* * *

Evelyn ushered Martha to the storage room in the back of the inn. There she gestured to her to help her move a barrel of spoiled wine to reveal a trap door in the floor. "The smell helps keep the curious away," Evelyn said as Martha waved her hand in front of her face and coughed. 

"I'd think it keeps _everyone_ away," Martha choked.

Evelyn pulled the door open to reveal dimly lit stairs going down to a dirt path lit with lanterns in far intervals. "It's safe," she said as she gestured to the stairs. "It leads to a safe place where people such as ourselves can meet without fear of Mary's spies. Go on, and I'll follow right after you." Martha gulped and took tentative steps down the stairs as Evelyn closed and locked the trapdoor behind them.

Evelyn soon took the lead down the path and Martha found herself starting conversation to stave off the claustrophobia of the dim underground hallway. "So…Evelyn…why are you helping me? Not that I don't appreciate it immensely as there's no telling where I might be right now if you hadn't…"

"While we didn't know of your religious beliefs, you did show your worth when your man provided succor to poor Sir Wyatt. Poor Pete…he's beside himself because he couldn't be there to help, what with his bad leg and all." Evelyn paused to check around a corner to make sure it was clear. "Anyhow…whether Protestant or Christian, you both seem to be on the side of Free Men, and that has to be respected. Your man is suffering for our cause because of bad timing…and where's the justice in that?" Evelyn shrugged her shoulders as she finished and then motioned her down the path around the corner.

"Sometimes I have to wonder," Martha muttered to herself as she followed Evelyn down the path, "if it's bad timing, or his never ending urge to be right in the thick of things." Suddenly she leaned against the wall and put a hand to her head as she closed her eyes. Evelyn turned back and placed a hand on her shoulder in concern, but Martha quickly shook her head and brushed her hand off. "Thanks, but I'm okay. Let's get going." Evelyn turned to continue down the path and Martha bit her lip in worry as she followed behind. _Once we get out of this I'm never letting you near another Queen, Doctor…not even Freddie Mercury!_

* * *

The Doctor blinked into the bright sunlight as the guards led the prisoners onto the barge that would take them to the Tower. He tuned out the jeers of the peasants along the docks as they threw insults and taunts, and instead absorbed the sight of the gleaming white towers across the water. _The last time I was here…I think UNIT was using it for headquarters during that whole thing with the Sycorax. Blimey…imagine what the Brigadier would say if he found out I was actually held here! I'm sure between him and Benton I'd never hear the end of how I finally got my just desserts…_The barge jerked the Doctor out of his thoughts as they left the docks and moved along the river. He looked back to the docks for a moment and did a double-take when he saw a dark skinned woman wearing full skirts and a peasant blouse waving her hand and pushing through the people hefting rotten fruit. 

_Doctor! Doctor!_

The woman reached the edge of the docks, and the Doctor smiled as he made out Martha's concerned features. A red haired woman that he remembered from the inn walked up next to her and waved with a smile. He instinctively tried to raise his hand to wave back, but winced when he felt the pull of the ropes keeping his hands tied behind him.

_I see you, Martha….are you okay?_

_As well as I can be watching you being taken prisoner. This is not something I want to get used to, Doctor…._

The Doctor smirked. _Rassilon forbid that we ever get into a rut, Martha…I fully agree that next time it should be your turn._

_Oh you! You're going to get such a pinch for that one…_

_You have to come get me first!_

The barge began to turn down the channel and he soon lost sight of Martha. As they straightened out the ominous Traitor's Gate come into view, the remnants of nooses and faded words causing a chill to run down the Doctor's spine. "Abandon all hope, ye who enter here…" he read quietly to himself.

"Aye," agreed one of the other prisoners as he looked forlornly up at the gate. "Best to abandon hope to those that are free."

"Afraid I can't do that, mate…" the Doctor replied as he took a last glance at the docks. "It seems that every time I try, hope refuses to abandon _me_."

* * *

Evelyn and Martha finally came to the end of the hallway, and Martha began to hear the noises of a bustling city above. "Where are we?" she asked Evelyn as they came to a ladder leading up to another trapdoor. 

"Pete owns a small warehouse down at the docks for when the ships come in with supplies," Evelyn said as she drew a key from her apron and climbed the ladder to unlock the door. She pocketed the key and grunted as she pushed the heavy trapdoor open. After a quick peek to make sure the way was clear she gestured for Martha to follow and climbed out of the hallway.

Soon they were both out and pushing a heavy crate over the trapdoor to cover their tracks. Martha dusted her hands off while Evelyn opened the door a crack to see outside. "It looks like most of the people down here are distracted by the prisoner's barge. It should be clear for us to go."

"Prisoner's barge?" Martha's eyes grew wide. "I might be able to see him!" She pushed through the door and past Evelyn as she ran into the crowd at the edge of the docks. Evelyn quickly locked the warehouse so she could catch up with her. Martha held her skirts in one hand and waved her other high as she shouldered her way through the crowd. "Get out of my way….move it or lose it," she muttered angrily. She finally managed to push her way to the end of the pier and grasped the railing tight as she called to him in her mind. Evelyn soon managed to make her way to Martha and reassured her with a hand on her shoulder as she waved to the slowly disappearing barge.

Martha laughed and shook her head at the Doctor's taunt. _Oh I'm coming to get you all right…_

"Come, Martha…we've work to do." Evelyn said as she squeezed Martha's shoulder gently. "It's time you got yourself a job at the Tower!" Martha looked to her with a growing smile and hope in her eyes as she turned to follow her back into the crowd.

* * *

The barge shuddered as it came to a rest at the docks of the Tower of London. The guards untied the line of prisoners and they soon found themselves shuffling up the stone stairs to the large wooden doors of the west wall entrance. Above a young woman with curly blonde hair and maid's clothes looked out one of the windows of the Bell Tower. 

"Milady, new prisoners have arrived!" she exclaimed as she turned. There was a rustling of fabric, and then another woman, this one with long wavy red hair and a yellow silk brocade gown, eagerly came to the window.

"Oh God…" she whispered as she spied the clothes of Sir Wyatt amongst the other prisoners. "Poor man…your heart was in the right place…even if your head wasn't. Ill-advised rebellion just isn't God's way." Her eyes narrowed as she saw the strangely clothed and lanky form of the Doctor. "Now who is this strange creature? He dresses oddly for one of England's subjects."

The younger blonde joined the woman at the window, curious to see the strange newcomer. "His clothes are indeed…_different_, milady…though he certainly doesn't damage the eyes," she said with a small smile.

"Kat!" the other woman exclaimed as she put a hand to her chest. "I'm shocked at such thoughts!"

The young maid's face dropped as she quickly tried to apologize. "I meant no disrespect, madam…honestly!"

The redhead looked out the window again as the prisoners were led into the castle, a ghost of a smile passing her lips. "I am merely looking out for you, Kat…I've learned through hard lessons that it's best to keep one's desires buried deep, lest your enemies use them against you." She sighed and turned away from the window as she fondly ruffled the curls on Kat's bowed head.

"Yes, Lady Elizabeth…"Kat replied gratefully as she curtsied, "I am blessed that you would deem me worthy to look out for. I shall try to be more careful."

"Good," said Elizabeth as she went to her door and peered out the bars. "Let's put the lesson into practice when the guards come next to let you out, and see if you can find out anything about our new guests."

* * *

The Doctor was ushered along with the other prisoners into a wide room with doors in every direction. A large desk with guards on each side stood in the middle of the room, occupied by a severe looking man wearing thick lenses and dark robes. The guards pushed them forward one at a time with Sir Wyatt being first, and the man whipped open a large book with one hand as he pulled out a quill from his robes with the other. 

"Name?" he asked succinctly as the quill hovered over the book.

"Sir Thomas Wyatt the Elder," he replied as he held his head high.

"Ahh…the Protestant upstart who thought he could walk right over the Church," the man said knowingly. "We have a room in the Bloody Tower just for you." He didn't even look up from his book as he wrote Wyatt's information into it; he just waved his hand to the right as one of the guards escorted him away.

"Goodbye, my friend…mayhap we shall meet again in the next life…" Wyatt said, his head struggling to turn to the Doctor as he was ushered through the door.

"Maybe, my friend…I've still got a few left," the Doctor muttered to himself before one of the guards pushed him towards the desk.

"Name?"

"The Doctor," he replied with a smile as he rocked back and forth on his feet.

"Doctor….who? We don't have time for games here," the man said with an irritated wave of his quill.

"Just 'The Doctor,'" he answered with a smile, "But if it would make things easier for your bookkeeping, I suppose you could call me Doctor Smith."

The man looked up from his book to peer at him through his thick lenses. "You seem to be a stranger to these parts?" he asked as he looked up and down at the Doctor's suit.

The Doctor opened his mouth to reply, but the head of the guards escorting them stepped forward. "We caught him associating with Wyatt at the Belle Sauvage, Sir Winston." he then walked behind the desk to whisper to him as the other guards pulled the prisoners back.

"I was told by the Privy Council to pass on special instructions regarding this one," he whispered as he cupped his hand to Sir Winston's ear. "They believe that since he's a new face, maybe putting him near Elizabeth will get her to speak more freely of the rebellion."

Sir Winston's eyes narrowed behind his glasses as he looked at the Doctor and nodded. The guard stepped back as he picked up his quill and began writing into the book. "Very well…._Doctor_…we put our special guests into the Bell Tower. Take him away…" he waved his hand dismissively. "Next!"

* * *

"Milady, I bring news!" whispered Kat furtively as she crossed the room to Elizabeth, who had been working on her needlepoint by the light from the window. She quickly set it down and rushed over to the excited Kat. 

"What have you found?"

"I talked to Jimmy, one of the male servants over in the Garden Tower, and he said that Sir Wyatt was imprisoned there this morn."

Elizabeth sighed. "And the stranger?"

A clatter rang out in the hallway as one of the doors was flung open and a pair of guards entered with the Doctor in tow. The two women gasped and ran to the door, hoping to catch a glance. They could just make out that the door next to them was being opened.

"I believe he's our new neighbor, milady…" Kat whispered.


	3. Chapter 3

* * *

"Ow…hey…I need that! It's not like you have central heating in this place," the Doctor complained as the guards took his coat from him and tossed him into the cell. They closed the door behind him and he immediately went to it to exclaim, "You better take good care of that coat, you here me? I love that coat!"

"The day I start wearing clothes like this is when I belong on that side of the door," one of the guards scoffed as he threw the coat over his shoulder.

The Doctor stuffed his hands deep in his pockets in frustration. Not only had they taken his coat, but with it his screwdriver, psychic paper, and TARDIS key. Thankfully the inter-dimensional pockets he designed into his coat would keep them safe from prying eyes, but still…he felt rather naked without them, and he didn't want to take that chance. He turned around to take in his new residence and blew out a puff of air noisily. _Well…at least I've got a nice view. _He walked over to the narrow window and looked out across the channel to see the docks where he had last seen Martha. If he concentrated he could just manage to feel Martha's presence in his mind…but the link was too strained by distance for communication.

He was looking down out the window and doing his best to calculate the distance to the ground when he started to hear a faint scraping noise coming from the far wall. His brow raised in curiosity as he strolled over to where the noise was steadily getting louder. Suddenly a piece of one of the stones in the wall at about chest height began to move and come towards him. The Doctor reached out adroitly and caught the stone as it fell towards the ground. He peered at the newly formed hole in the wall and spied blonde curls before the figure moved.

"Hello?" the Doctor asked curiously.

He heard a rustle of fabric and voices whispering before a female voice finally answered back. "While you seem to dress oddly, stranger, I should hope that England has not fallen into such disarray that they would place you in prison just for that."

The Doctor looked down at his suit and chortled. "I think that's one of the few reasons I haven't dealt with yet, actually. I'm the Doctor, by the way…and you are?"

"A habit of secrecy is both politic and moral, is it not, Doctor?" the voice replied.

The Doctor smiled to himself as he grabbed the lone chair in his cell and leaned it against the wall near the hole. "Very well…it's like a friend of mine said once," he said as he sat down, "A rose by any other name would smell just as sweet."

"Your friend is wise, Doctor. Pray tell me…what has brought you to this place?"

He sighed and placed his elbows on his knees as he fidgeted with his hands. "Compassion, I guess…and bad timing, of course. Martha and I…well… we were at the inn and I just had to put my foot in it. He was so sad and tired after trying so hard…and I knew what that felt like. Sometimes you feel like it's you against the whole world, and you wonder why you're even bothering to try and fix it when they fight you."

Silence greeted the Doctor at first. "Duty is a harsh mistress, to be true…but the things which must be, must be for the best. God helps us do our duty and not shrink, And trust His mercy humbly for the rest. From your words, I have to wonder if the man you showed compassion to was Sir Wyatt," she asked quietly.

"That would be him," the Doctor replied as he ran his hand through his hair. "He's weighed down with his feelings of love and duty for Elizabeth."

"Love…" the woman sighed. "Such a fickle, vengeful thing. Poets cry its praise for it conquers all, yet here I sit, twice imprisoned by no fault of mine own o'er some poor fool's love." He could hear a chair scrape and a rustle of fabric as the voice continued forcefully, "I didn't even _know_ of his rebellion…and now my life is at the whim of my crazed half-sister because of it. Compassion is but a kindred cousin to love, Doctor…and now you too suffer from its clutches."

"Love has caused me more pain then I thought my hearts could bear…" the Doctor said as he leaned back in his chair and rested his head against the wall. He closed his eyes and the faces of his previous companions floated through his mind: Susan…Sarah Jane…Romana…Ace…Grace…Rose…they all took a piece of his hearts with them when they left. He wiped a stray tear from his eye as he continued, "but it also has given me joys beyond measure greater than any treasure. With all things comes the good and the bad of it…whether it be an emotion or a new invention. Look at Einstein…imagine how he felt when his discoveries were used to…" he slapped a hand over his mouth as he realized where his ramblings were leading him. _This is what happens when you get wrapped up in a philosophical discussion!_

"You speak strangely, Doctor…and you speak of hearts? Do you have one for work days and one for special occasions?"

"Well…when you travel as much as I do you tend to have one for when you're away and one for home," he said with a nervous tug on his ear.

"I would give up the one and keep the other for home. God grant me my freedom, and England shall be my one true love," Elizabeth replied.

"Yeah…well…afraid I don't have that choice anymore," the Doctor muttered darkly. "I tried to do away with love, but it keeps turning up like a lost puppy, and it wears down my defenses until I have no recourse but to take it in."

"Would this friend of yours…Martha, I believe you called her…be a subject of your love? You give everyone fodder against you by bringing her with you on your travels, Doctor. Would I have let my feelings for someone be known to Mary, I'm sure they would be in the cell next to us."

"I know," he said with a resigned sigh. "I've put my hearts on a platter again and given away the knife…but something told me since I met her that she wouldn't hurt me if she could help it." He smiled crookedly as he remembered her keeping his double hearts a secret from Doctor Stoker when they met at the Royal Hope. "She's a protector, she is…reminds me a lot of a previous friend of mine…other than the leather bikini, of course. Though now that I mention it…" His words dwindled as he picked up the sound of footsteps coming down the hallway. "We may want to postpone this till later, my lady," he warned as he stepped towards the door to his cell.

"Doctor! The stone!" Elizabeth pleaded.

The Doctor's eyes widened as he remembered the piece of masonry that he had pocketed. He hurried over to the wall as the footsteps grew louder and just managed to push the stone back into the wall as a guard opened his cell. "Lunchtime!"

The Doctor smiled in joy as a familiar looking dark skinned girl wearing peasant clothes came in carrying a bucket and a bowl. "Sometimes love is just full of surprises," he said quietly to himself.

* * *

"A job at the Tower?" Martha looked down at her skirts. "I'm not exactly dressed for 'prison guard' material," she joked to Evelyn as they walked away from the docks.

"I'm not sure they make armor in your size anyway," Evelyn retorted as they turned to walk down a small pier to a low long building on the water with smoke coming out of the chimney. Various sailors were coming in and out of the building, and as they got closer Martha could make out a faded painted sign hanging by the door: The Treasure Trove. They stepped aside as a rather bulky bald man opened the door and walked out into the sunshine with a groan. "Come on," Evelyn said as she waved Martha inside, "Pete's brother Pistol runs this place."

"Sounds like inns are a family business," Martha said as she did her best to avoid bumping into the customers sloshing steins of beer around as they went through another round of "What Shall We Do With A Drunken Sailor?"

"Nay….family front, more like it. " Evelyn ducked behind the bar and went through the door that led to the back. They were immediately brought up short by a big burly man wearing a sleeveless tunic. He glared down at them from his tall height as he crossed his arms, and Martha gulped as she realized her head only reached halfway up his chest. Evelyn surprised Martha as she smiled and held her arms out wide. "Uncle Rupert! Don't you know your own niece when you see her?"

The big man bent down and squinted at them as he snorted. "Bless my hairy hide, Evey! We were starting to think that you'd forgotten the family!" He grabbed Evelyn around the waist and hefted her in a big bear hug.

Evelyn patted his shoulders as she said slightly out of breath, "Pete had to lay low for a bit after the whole fiasco with Wyatt, Uncle Rupert. Could you let me down now?"

"Ay…tis understandable. It's a dangerous time to be voicing an opinion other than the Church's. Oy…where's your manners, niece? Who's your friend?" Rupert growled as he set Evelyn down and she put her hands to her ribs.

"My name's Martha Jones, sir," she replied as she curtsied as best she could with her skirts. "Pleased to meet you!"

"Get her," Rupert exclaimed with a gap-toothed grin, "she called me 'Sir!'" He waved a big hand for them to follow as he walked through the kitchen. He pushed a set of double doors open into a stockroom that was a maze of shelves filled with everything from pickled eggs to wine barrels. Eventually they got to the other end of the room and Rupert knocked three times on an inconspicuous door in the far corner.

After a moment it opened and they were let into a small office where crates were stacked to one side of a desk. A skinny middle-aged man with curly auburn hair leaned against it as he wrote into a manifest, and looked up in surprise when he took in his visitors. "And here I was all ready to get on you for interrupting my count again, Rupert. Come ere', Evey!"

"Hey, Da!" Evelyn said with a smile as she stepped into his hug. "I'm afraid this isn't just a family reunion, though. My friend Martha here," she gestured towards her with her hand, "needs to get into the Tower to see her friend."

He leaned back and looked at Evelyn in concern. "That's a tall order for just a visit…what's going on?"

"My friend the Doctor was arrested for sharing a drink with Thomas Wyatt, sir…" Martha replied nervously. "He was taking me to see London for the first time and we stopped at the inn for a rest when Wyatt came in….and the guards came soon after." She stepped up to them and pleaded. "I need to get into the Tower so that I can make sure he's okay. He doesn't deserve to be in there sir, and I'd get him out if I could."

He looked at Martha doubtfully, but then Evelyn spoke up. "It's true, Da…I was right there when it happened. Her friend was being all nice to poor Wyatt and those blasted guards took him in for it. It just ain't right! Poor Pete is in a tizzy, he is…he's tearing himself up because he wasn't able to get Wyatt out before the guards came."

He looked to the both of them and sighed. "It looks like you finally found yourself a friend as willful as yourself, Evey." He released Evelyn from his arms and turned to Martha. "We've got ourselves a contract with the kitchen at the Tower to supply food servers for the prisoners. It was going to be Evey's turn tomorrow, but I think we can make an exception."

"Oh thank you!" Martha exclaimed as her eyes lit up with new hope. If she could just get in to see the Doctor, then at least they could talk and try to come up with a plan to get him out of there before things got worse.

* * *

"He's a smart one, isn't he?" Kat said as she slowly worked a brush through Elizabeth's long red hair. "It sounded like he's been through a lot." The brush stopped for a moment as she leaned her head in thought. "I wonder if he's ever travelled to Egypt? He said he travelled, and all…"

"I have a feeling that our friend the Doctor has travelled to many places beyond our ken, Kat." Elizabeth replied thoughtfully. "His words grew strange, and I feel his attempt at humor was just to cover up something more. He looks young, but in his voice I could feel the weight of the ages. He's a contradiction in human form."

"I liked how he talked about love, though…" replied Kat with a dreamy look on her face.

"You would do best not to listen to such piffle," Elizabeth said flatly. "Not all are as fortunate as he. Temper your thoughts with my words, Kat: I have had good experience and trial of this world…I know what it is to be a subject, to have good neighbors, and sometimes meet evil willers. I have found treason in trust, seen great benefits little regarded, and seen many suffer for love. Love your country…but leave love for one alone lest you be wounded beyond repair."

"Yes, milady," Kat answered quietly as she finished and set the brush down on a small table. "I'm sorry you had to end up in here like this…I'm sure Sir Wyatt didn't mean for it to happen."

"Well he didn't think, did he?" Elizabeth exclaimed bitterly as she stood. "Neither did Thomas! Men profess their feelings, but they never think of the repercussions."

She heard the distant ring of the lunch bell and nodded to Kat. "Why don't you go and fetch us our repast?" Kat nodded and scurried out the door as Elizabeth walked to the window in thought. "Mayhap God has let us meet the Doctor for a reason that we might save this Martha from a similar fate."


	4. Chapter 4

* * *

The Doctor smiled and let out a relieved laugh as he watched Martha walk in with the guard. He had lost contact with her earlier, and didn't know what had happened to her while he was stuck in here. He quickly stepped towards her and almost wrapped her up in a big bear hug before the guard held out a stiff arm and stopped him. "You'll be getting your lunch soon enough, so back off!"

Martha looked up from the bucket she was spooning soup out of and smiled in chagrin at the Doctor.

_Thank God you're okay! Evelyn the barmaid at the Belle Sauvage took me in and got me the job here at the Tower so I could see you…but how do I get you out?_

Martha held up the full bowl and he reached out to take it from her, his long fingers briefly caressing her hands.

_I've been in worse. I actually need you to find my coat first, Martha. All of my things are in there…and we can't afford to leave them to history. I'm all right for now, as they can't figure out what to do with me. Besides…you'd never guess who I'm neighbors with!_

Martha rolled her eyes._ Considering the amount of trouble you're in and the smile on your face, I'd have to say it was Elizabeth._

_Aww…you know me too well! Stay safe …I don't want my curiosity to get you hurt._

_Oh sure…now you say that…_

"We've got other hungry people around here too, so let's hurry it up, eh?" The guard exclaimed in a disgruntled tone as he made to open the cell door.

_I'll look around for your coat and be back for dinner, Doctor…_

The guard escorted her out the door and locked it behind them as the Doctor dipped one finger into the soup to taste and stuck his tongue out in revulsion. He rushed up to the bars to watch Martha leave down the hallway. _You realize you're making me look forward to some of the worst food I've ever tasted, don't you? We'll have to think of a suitable punishment when we get back to the TARDIS…_

_Promises, promises, Doctor…_

He grinned at her retreating figure and laughed out loud before he turned back to his cell and set the bowl of soup on the floor by the door. "Oh Martha Jones…you're a beauty!"

* * *

"Did you hear that, Kat?" Elizabeth said as she stepped away from the door to her cell. "Apparently the Doctor's Martha works here at the prison!" She hurried over to Kat and grasped her hands in hers. "I need you to do me a great service, Kat. Whilst the Doctor and I carry on our conversations, I will do my best to convince him of the error of his ways when it comes to his companion. I need you to talk to Martha, however. Perhaps if we work together we can keep 'love' from claiming another victim!"

A sad, resigned look passed over Kat's face as she watched Elizabeth turn to the wall to remove the piece of stone that enabled her to talk to the Doctor in the other room. "Yes, milady…I'll do my best to find her." With a sigh she went to the door and left Elizabeth to her thoughts.

"Doctor…are you there?" Elizabeth asked as she pushed out the piece of stone.

"Afraid so…you'll have to put up with my ramblings for yet another day," he replied as he drew up his chair and sat on his side of the wall.

"Forgive my impertinence, but I couldn't help overhearing your rather rambunctious laughter. Have you received good news, perhaps?"

"A happy surprise, milady…a happy surprise," he answered with a grin.

"Methinks it might involve the new serving girl, yes? From the way you talked out loud after she left, I might even think that she's the 'Martha' you claimed to be travelling with."

"You're quite perceptive, milady."

"She is quite brave to be following you into the lion's den…but I feel I must say that your behavior is quite selfish, Doctor." She gripped her skirts tightly as she continued. "You laugh as if a stay in the Tower of London is a joke…a silly yarn to talk about over ales at the tavern…yet this girl is risking life and limb just to look at your face." Silence greeted her at first…and then she could hear his chair scrape the floor as he began pacing in his cell.

"She knew what she was getting into when she chose to travel with me…" he ran a hand through his hair as he muttered, "…this time, anyway."

"Is danger so commonplace for you then? Just because your victims learn to survive doesn't make it right for you to bring them along, Doctor. I'm sure poor Martha loves you no end, and she follows you blindly without thought of her peril. I cared for Thomas, and I thought he for me…but his machinations got him killed and left me to the political scheming of my family. Sir Wyatt claimed to care for me…but yet again his machinations shall soon see the end of him, I fear…and they may yet see the end of me in this blasted place. The only difference I see between them and you, Doctor, is that Mary hasn't decided what to do with you yet."

"With all due respect, you don't know a damned thing about Martha or me, milady, " he bit out in annoyance.

"Don't I? I think I learned enough when I witnessed your scandalous dress and cavalier attitude toward danger, Doctor. You waltzed straight into the middle of Wyatt's ill-thought rebellion and involved yourself and your friend in high treason because you had 'compassion' for the man. You laughed at the thought of your friend risking her life getting into one of the most heinous prisons of our land, you laughed at your predicament…is there nothing you take seriously?" She stood up from her chair quickly and her skirts knocked it to the ground as she spun around in fury. "Is Martha even your love, or is she just one amongst a string of poor girls that you lead to danger for a laugh?"

She could hear his hands slap against the cold stone as he growled, "I take _all_ life seriously! My laughter helps me deal with my pain…maybe you should give it a try. You go on and on about your country being your love…well _I don't have that option anymore_. You think being left to suffer by two men in your life is reason to give up? Try _your whole people_!"

Elizabeth paused briefly as she absorbed the Doctor's pained confession, then clenched her fist as she continued. "Then accept your pain gracefully without making them suffer for it! I beg you, Doctor…send Martha home before she pays the price for your tragic folly!"

With a yell of frustration the Doctor kicked over his chair and scooped up the stone from the floor, jamming it forcefully into the hole in the wall and placing his back to it as he slowly slid down to the floor with a sob. He ran his hands through his hair and rested his elbows on his knees as he thought. _What I'd give for my screwdriver right now so I could seal that wall for good…_He rocked his head back and winced as it hit the wall.

He thought back to when he first met Martha Jones…how he had kissed her in the hospital hallway in order to create a genetic transfer to stall the Judoon._ I swore it was nothing from the start…but did that really matter? Was it fair to Martha? I knew that she had feelings for me early on…but I did my best to ignore them and lied to her in the hopes that she would stay with me…so I wouldn't have to be alone. _He banged his fist against the floor as a little voice deep inside him whispered that Elizabeth might be right.

* * *

Martha blew the hair falling from her ponytail out of her face as she sat down on the wooden stool in the servant's common room in the Tower. She winced as she massaged the arch of her foot. _I'm ready for that rubdown now, Doctor… _as she put her foot down her brow raised in curiosity.She could feel the presence of the Doctor in the back of her mind, but it was muted somehow._ Doctor? Are you there?_

_…..I'm sorry, Martha…I need to be alone with my thoughts right now._

_Are you all right? What's going on?_

_Please, Martha…I'll be okay, I promise. _

_Like you're __**always **__okay? I don't buy it Doctor…what's wrong? _

Silence greeted her. She was about to press him further when the door to the common room opened and a servant girl with blonde curly hair came stumbling in.

"Oh! I'm sorry…I got caught up in my skirts," she apologized as she smoothed them out with her hand and sat down at the table with Martha.

"I understand, believe me…" Martha said in sympathy. "It's bad enough trying to walk or run around…let alone do your chores. I worked this place once where I had like four layers of skirts and I could barely sit down, let alone scrub the floors! I'm Martha, by the way," she said with a smile as she held out her hand.

"I'm Kat," the blonde girl replied with a smile in return. "Are you new to the Tower? I haven't seen you around before. Forgive me for being nosy…things just get so dull around here sometimes."

"Oh no problem. I just started working over at The Treasure Trove and this is my first turn of duty here at the Tower. Are you a serving girl here too?"

"No….I'm here with my lady," she said with a shake of her curls. " She's been imprisoned rather unfairly, I thought…but at least they let me come and go to help her. I was just leaving her quarters when I saw you come out of the cell next door, and I've just got to ask you," she leaned over the table and her eyes lit with mischief, "What do you think of our new prisoner? I saw him when he came in on the barge, and I couldn't help but notice his odd dress…rather close-fitting, don't you think? I'm sure he's a winner with the girls!"

"You've no idea," Martha replied with a roll of her eyes.

"You know him then?" Kat asked eagerly. "Do tell me…what's he like?"

"Well…" Martha hesitated, unsure if she'd just talked herself between a rock and a hard place.

"Oh please," begged Kat. "My lady has been talking to him and she's convinced that he's some travelling ladies' man collecting girl's hearts like trophies while he gets in and out of trouble."

"Oh…well…he's not as bad as all that, honestly!" Martha reassured her with a pat on her hand. "I mean…yeah, he gets into trouble all the time…but it's almost always because he's trying to help. Things just don't always work out as he planned. As to girl's hearts…" Martha gazed down at the table and scratched at the wood with her thumbnail, "it's hard **not **to fall in love with him, really. I can't blame the ones he's met before if they all felt the same."

"Does he love you too?" Kat asked worriedly.

"Yes…he does," Martha answered as her smile grew. "He finally told me the last time we went travelling together."

"You weren't threatening to leave or anything when he said it, were you? My sis Kelly, she used to go on and on about her man who'd treat her poorly, and every time she tried to leave he'd come back with those three words and she'd be stuck all over again. "

Martha thought back to when they were on Pakah. What had she said? _Tell me why I shouldn't ask you to take me back home right now so I can once again try and get over you and my broken heart. _

Kat could see the look of worry cross Martha's face and her expression dropped in sympathy. "Oh no…"

"No! It's not like that!" Martha quickly stood up from her stool. "It's easy for you and your lady to make judgments…but you don't know him!" She took a few steps away from Kat and drew a deep breath before she calmly turned back to her and went back to sit at the table. "Have you ever known someone who had a heart so big that they loved everyone? I'm not talking about just the pretty girls…I mean _everyone_? Being jealous of him is like being jealous of the Sun because it shines more in one place than another."

Kat chewed her lip as she thought. "My lady was like that once…before they hurt her heart," she replied softly.

Martha took Kat's hands in hers. "She's been hurt by men before, then?" A light went on in Martha's mind. "Did she send you to talk to me because she's jealous or something?"

"Oh please don't hate her…she thinks she's doing the right thing!" Kat pleaded.

Martha sat back in thought. "In a way…I guess I'm flattered, really…that she'd take the time to try and 'save' me. I'm okay, though…really. We went through some hard times, and I've had the chance to end it before…but I realized something, Kat: Anything worth having, is worth fighting for…and he's worth everything to me."

Tears welled in Kat's eyes as she smiled. "Oh…I just knew she was wrong…but I couldn't exactly say so to her face, could I? Jimmy, he's one of the servants over in the Garden Tower, he and I have been seeing each other for the last few months…but I was so afraid she'd find out and make me stop seeing him!"

"I was the same way with my Mother…every time I brought him around she always ended up slapping him!"

Kat giggled as she replied, "Your mother sounds like quite a handful!"

"Ah…she meant well…just like your lady. She came around when he helped save my family, though," Martha answered with a shrug of her shoulders.

"Well I certainly hope that Jimmy doesn't have to fight for the Queen just to prove himself! I love him just the way he is!" Kat said, wide-eyed.

"I just hope that mine doesn't have to die for the Queen just because we got stuck in this mess," Martha said with a sigh as she rested her chin in her hand and leaned on the table. "If I could just find his coat…"

Kat's eyes widened in surprise. "Do you mean that great floppy thing he was wearing when he came in?" she leaned forward over the table and whispered, "Maybe I can help you after all!"


	5. Chapter 5

* * *

The Doctor blinked into the sunlight as he and Elizabeth were escorted by the guards into the main courtyard for their morning exercises. He strolled forward with his hands in his pockets, kicking the dirt as he went. He was starting to regret his curiosity with Elizabeth, as her constant guilt-tripping over his having female relationships was starting to wear on him. Here he was hoping that they had at least done something fun to make her so angry…but instead he found that he didn't have to do anything other than be happy with another person by his side. His boredom wasn't the only problem, though….Elizabeth was hitting home with some of her comments and he had nowhere to run. He sighed as he looked up at the sun, then turned as he heard the rustle of Elizabeth's skirts behind him.

"Let me see if I understand what you've been saying, my lady," he said as he ran a hand through his hair and she joined him at his side as they walked through the courtyard. " You've been burned by men and their feelings, so you've decided that not only will you give them up….but that everyone else should give up relationships because on the off chance that it will cause them pain?"

Elizabeth looked down at her clasped hands and twirled one of the rings on her fingers. "I take you in confidence because I believe so strongly, Doctor…I expect the things that we discuss never to fall on others ears." He nodded, and she continued quietly, "Many nights I am plagued with a dream…of a mysterious and handsome man who comes to me and tells me of his love…who wishes to take me away from my responsibilities so that we may be happy together."

"Sounds nice enough," the Doctor mumbled as they continue walking towards the parapet stairs.

"It's a nightmare, Doctor! I would rather never dream than constantly be tortured with something out of my reach. Better to never have known love than to know what you've been missing! The pain is just too great."

He contemplated Elizabeth's words as they walked up the stairs in silence past the guards. As they got to the top he moved to the edge and looked out over the land, a cool breeze ruffling his hair. "I'm truly sorry that you've been hurt, Elizabeth…I really am. Pain is a necessary part of life, though. Creation and destruction, love and hate, gains and losses, they're all part of the balance, right?" He stepped away from the wall and began gesturing with his hands like scales. "There was a point in my life where I thought if I denied love I could keep myself from getting hurt anymore. " He swallowed hard. "I lost someone that I love dearly, and I didn't want to go through that again."

"So you understand my point then, Doctor?" Elizabeth asked with a sad smile and a nod of her head.

He sighed and leaned against the parapet wall. "I understand what you're going through…but I can't agree with you, milady. I tried to stop everything from getting in…but I couldn't. I was alone again and in pain…determined not to get involved…but then I met Martha." He smiled a crooked grin as he stuck his hands in his pockets. "She'd saved me, and then I'd saved her, and before you knew it I was taking her along with me and doing everything I could to make sure she stayed with me."

He could see the disappointment on Elizabeth's face as she sat on one of the benches along the parapet. He sat down next to her and rested his elbows on his knees as he fidgeted with his hands. "We can't stop pain from happening in our lives…so we seek out love and companionship so that we can manage it and become stronger for it. Every day we were together I watched Martha do amazing things because she believed she felt love for me…yet I ignored her. I hurt her so much because I was too absorbed in my own pain to notice." His hands clenched into tight fists as he remembered his callous behavior over the past year. Elizabeth tentatively put her hand on his shoulder in an attempt to comfort him.

"She came back to me, though." He smiled wistfully. " She came back and saved us all, because she wouldn't give up on me or her people. How can I deny that?"

"Every day she stays with you will cause her more pain in the end when you're gone, Doctor. What will she do when you're no longer there? What will she do without your adventure to distract her from her life without you?"

They stood from the bench and walked down the stairs back to the courtyard. He thought back to Sarah Jane when they met again after all those years apart. _"I thought you'd get on with your life…" - "You were my life!" _He'd caused her so much pain over those years…dumping her off so suddenly and not even in her home town. Look what she'd done, though. Sarah Jane Smith, Companion, had grown into her own and became Sarah Jane Smith, investigative reporter extraordinaire with her own companions! She didn't know it, but he'd been checking in on her unobserved every few years or so to see how she was doing…and he was so proud of what she'd done with herself without him.

"Martha Jones, she's a strong one. I worry more about what I'll do without her than how she'll fare without me, honestly. When she first travelled with me it was more of a lark between her studies…I was always afraid that she'd finally have enough of me and go back to her own life."

"Then you're keeping her from her life for your own purposes? As I said from the start, that's quite selfish of you, Doctor."

"Yes…I am selfish, Elizabeth. Very selfish. Every time I go somewhere new I want Martha with me so that I can see her eyes light up with joy. I want her to groan and laugh when I make bad jokes…and to stop me when I go to far. I want her to ask me constant questions…to keep me thinking and always keep me guessing. I know it won't last forever…I know that more than anyone." He sighed deeply. "I'm going to savor every moment while it lasts, though…and I hope she will too."

* * *

Martha stretched as she and Kat walked out of the kitchen and into the sunlight. Kat looked around the courtyard anxiously. "I don't have a lot of time, I'm afraid. I'll need to tend to my lady after her morning walk." She scanned the yard and smiled when she saw a tall man with shoulder-length sandy blond hair wave and jog towards her.

"You're a sight for sore eyes, my Kat," he said with a smile as he came up to them and grasped Kat's hands. She giggled and squeezed his hands in return before gesturing to Martha.

"Jimmy, I'd like you to meet my new friend, Martha. She's working as a food server over in the Bell Tower with me."

"Any friend of Kat's is a friend of mine. Pleased to meet you!" Jimmy grinned wide and Martha smiled as she couldn't help but think of the Doctor's own manic smile.

"Glad to meet you too, Jimmy! Kat was just telling me about your work over in the Garden Tower."

He rolled his eyes. "I'm sure it was all lies," he joked.

"Jimmy!" Kat elbowed him and he laughed. "We were actually talking about that new odd bloke who came in on with the last barge of prisoners. Turns out Martha here knows him and was hoping to get some of his things."

"He came in with a big brown coat on," Martha said excitedly. "It's very important to us…." Jimmy raised his eyebrow and she tugged on her ear nervously as she continued, "Well, you know how it is…my mum gave it to him and I was hoping to get it back for her since he's stuck in here." She crossed her fingers under her apron as Jimmy considered her request.

"Shouldn't be a problem…the guards over in my tower have been playing with the great floppy thing in the common room when they get too drunk, so we'll just have to wait till tonight and grab it."

Martha grinned wide and Kat snuggled up to Jimmy with a grateful smile. "Speaking of grabs…" Jimmy said with a rakish grin as he hugged his arms around Kat and squeezed her bum through her layers of skirt.

Kat squealed and Martha covered her mouth with her hand to try and stop laughing. As she looked away she couldn't help but notice another lanky gentleman walking down the parapet stairs with a red-haired woman in a blue brocade dress. "I think I see him!" Martha exclaimed. "Do you think the guards will let me talk to him?"

Kat looked around and nodded towards the well. "You should probably take water to people in the yard just in case the guards get suspicious." She looked coyly back up at Jimmy and giggled. "I'll see you later?"

"Have fun," Martha said with a laugh as she waved and walked to the well to fill the water bucket.

* * *

Elizabeth continued her walk in another direction while the Doctor found a bench in the courtyard to take a seat. He leaned back against it and stretched out his long legs as he looked to the sky and peered at the clouds in concentration.

_ That one kind of looks like the TARDIS, doesn't it?_

He looked behind him in surprise to see Martha standing there looking at the sky with him and grinned. _You read my mind, Martha Jones!_

She walked around the bench and set the water bucket down so she could fill a wooden cup and hand it to the Doctor. _So will you talk to me now?_

He took the cup and patted the bench next to him. His expression grew sad as he watched Elizabeth walking in the distance. _Do you ever hate me for what I've done to your life, Martha? Do you regret dropping everything and coming with me? _

She sat down next to him and spread her skirts out so that she could hold his hand without being observed. She placed her hand over his and gazed at him out of the corner of her eye._ Hate you for what you've done? Remembering first that if I'd never met you I'd be dead on the Moon right now…no, Doctor…I've never hated you. Even when…__**he**__…did his best to ruin everything…even during that year…I've never hated you. I've loved you, felt sorry for you, frustrated by you, even scared by you sometimes…but never hate. _

The Doctor took a drink from his cup as his cool fingers laced with hers under her apron and he squeezed her hand gently.

_ Regret? _She sighed deeply as she looked up at the clouds. _How can one regret living out your dreams? Ever since I was a child I've wanted to see what's out there. I wanted to bring help to people who didn't have it and be challenged to the best of my ability. I always thought if I ever did any of those things, I'd end up doing them alone, though. I was even set towards that idea when I was at the Royal Hope. The thought of meeting someone who shared those desires and could challenge me on a daily basis never even crossed my mind. Yet here I am, doing and seeing and feeling things that I never even thought possible with the most amazing man beside me…and you ask me if I regret it? _She smiled slyly. _And here I thought you were brilliant…_

He let out a quick laugh and smiled to himself as he finished his water. _Even a genius can act like a fool sometimes. Have I told you lately how glad I am to have met you, Martha Jones?_

_ That's __**Doctor**__ Martha Jones, thank you very much…and no, you haven't. S_he stood up in front of the Doctor and he looked up to see her lips quirk into a smile as she failed utterly to keep a stern look on her face.

_ When we get back to the TARDIS I'll have to let you know just how glad I am…_

She raised her eyebrow at him and he smiled seductively at her. She licked her lips in anticipation and put her hands on her hips. _I guess I better get to breaking you out of here then. Hold tight, Doctor, because I've got a plan._


	6. Chapter 6

* * *

Martha frowned in concern as she bent down next to the bench to gather the water bucket. _I thought about using my screwdriver and TARDIS key to get you out, but I don't think that will work. After what happened on Pakah, I discovered that the avoidance field doesn't work as well when people __**expect **__to see you there. Besides…if we just walked out and got noticed, we'd be stuck if we tried to get across the water to get back to the TARDIS. _

_Very astute of you to notice, Martha…and unfortunately very correct as well. _The Doctor rose from the bench and stretched his long arms above his head._ I think I can help with getting to the TARDIS, however…I just need my key and screwdriver from my coat._

Martha's hand reached instinctively for the key around her neck._ Mine won't work?_

He tugged at his ear as he smiled ruefully. _The key would, but your screwdriver won't, unfortunately. Afraid I didn't put that kind of feature on it yet. _

_Right_. Her hand clenched into a fist as she stood up with her bucket, and she looked to the Doctor with a determined smile on her face. _I've got a lead on getting your coat tonight, and a sneaking suspicion the stables here are a fire safety hazard._

His eyebrow shot up in surprise as he stuffed his hands into his pockets. _Why Martha Jones…been bitten by the fire bug, have we?_

_Just determined to help my Doctor any way I can, that's all…_she winked at him and sashayed as she walked away towards the Garden Tower.

The Doctor smiled at Martha's retreating form_. Rassilon help those who get in your way, Dr. Martha Jones._

* * *

Elizabeth was getting rather warm in the afternoon sun and was about to retire back to her cell when some small children playing in the courtyard crossed her path. One of them was a small girl with pigtails and a smudged face holding a bouquet of lavender and honeysuckle. She giggled as her face flushed pink and one of the other girls behind her nudged her in the back as they all looked at her with wide eyes.

"Miss Elizabeth, ma'am…"

Elizabeth smiled warmly and adjusted her skirts so that she could crouch down to the child's eye level. "Yes, my dear?"

"M-m-my mother talks about you all the time at home…she always said you were so pretty and strong and that I should grow up to be like you."

"Your mother is quite kind, child."

The child who had nudged the girl earlier whispered furtively into the girl's ear. "I'm doing it, Sally!" she muttered back over her shoulder before turning again to Elizabeth. "Anyways Miss Elizabeth…when we saw you today we all said you're too sad…so we picked these flowers for you. They always made Mama happy, so I hope they'll make you happy too." Her hands jutted forward with the bundle of flowers and Elizabeth's eyes widened in surprise.

She thought back to the Doctor's words. _Have I been hiding behind my pain for so long that I'm too scared to leave it behind? _She took the flowers with a grateful smile as the girl did her best curtsey. "Perhaps I have been too sad as of late…thank you, children; I shall try to be happier." They giggled in joy and quickly ran off across the courtyard as Elizabeth inhaled the heady fragrance, then headed back to her rooms to find Kat so she could obtain a vase for her precious gift.

* * *

Martha set the water bucket down next to the door to the Garden Tower and pulled the TARDIS key out of her blouse to hang free. _The last thing I need right now is guards bothering me with silly questions. _She took a deep breath and walked inside. _Okay Miss Smarty Pants….let's see if we can find Jimmy and get this plan going! _She kept to the walls of the stairway as she climbed and searched anxiously for Kat's boyfriend. _I hope they're done playing around…I might never find them if they're hiding somewhere!_

As she made her way to the 2nd floor she was gnawing her lip in frustration. _Okay…think logically, now…_she fiddled with her key as she made to turn a corner, and quickly plastered herself against the wall as two boisterous guards walked by with spears in hand.

"Gads, I'm glad to get that over with! Early morning shifts are such a pain in the arse," one guard exclaimed as he rubbed his neck.

"Oy!" the other exclaimed and smacked the complaining guard in the chest with the back of his free hand. "Keep it down, will ya, Thomas? Talk like that will make sure we're out of a job, let alone guard duty!"

"Okay…okay…" Thomas muttered. "Just get me to the commons so I can get off my feet, at least!"

_Bingo!_ Martha smiled to herself as she followed the guards discreetly down the hallway. They climbed another set of stairs to the 3rd floor and eventually they came to a stop in front of a worn set of double oak doors. Martha scurried back around the corner and watched in anticipation as they opened the doors. A clanking of metal on stone alerted Martha to the presence of someone coming up behind her, and she froze as she clung to the wall. The sounds passed her and she could see the armor covered frame of an angry man that she assumed to be a commander go around the corner.

"Evans! Thomas! You two wouldn't be thinking your duties are over for the day, would you?" he bellowed out as he snapped his heels together.

The two guards' shoulders drooped as they sighed and turned around to face their captain. "No sir," they answered weakly.

"Didn't think so! Now go on and join your fellow miscreants up top on the parapets. Maybe some brisk English weather will keep you lazy bastards from falling asleep on duty again! Hop to it!"

The two guards grabbed their spears tight and quickly ran past Martha for the stairs to get out of range of the brash captain. She had to fight to keep herself from laughing out loud at their comical retreat as the captain strolled leisurely past her with a satisfied smile and out the door.

_And then there were none…_Martha edged up to the doors and quietly inched one open to look inside. From what she could see of the common room it looked empty, if a bit messy. Ale stained tables and chairs were strewn about the place along with dirty mugs and playing cards. Her eyes widened as she looked to the far corner of the room and saw the familiar fabric of the Doctor's overcoat hanging from a wooden peg on the wall. She inched the door open farther and looked both ways down the hallway before she entered the room. As she backed up to close the door she froze as she heard a snort and heavy breathing behind her.

"Well what do we have here, eh? Looks like I get to enjoy my break after all…"

* * *

Elizabeth smiled and twirled the flowers in her hands as she walked to her cell. One of the guards escorted her inside and she walked to her table as she called out, "Kat, come see what those precious urchins outside gave me! Do we have something I can use as a vase?" When there was no reply she set the flowers down and looked around her room to see that Kat was nowhere to be found.

"Now where did that precocious girl get off too?" she said in a huff as she put her hands on her hips. She walked to the cell door, fully prepared to send one of the guards to look for her maid, when it opened and a richly robed man wearing a multitude of rings on his fingers strolled in. He looked around the cell in barely restrained disgust as he pulled a small handkerchief out of his robes to pat against his mouth. "Lady Elizabeth," he nodded his head in greeting.

"Rochfort," Elizabeth replied with a sneer as she stepped back. "To what do I owe this displeasure? I had thought my incarceration would at least guarantee that I would never have to look upon your sniveling face again."

"Your tongue is as sharp as ever, milady. Once again, I am sure the pleasure is all mine, as I deliver unfortunate news." He walked over to the table where Elizabeth had set her flowers and waved his handkerchief at them. "The Council has agreed that you've been given too much leeway in your imprisonment, milady." He continued his walk around the room and bent down to examine the crack around the stone they would remove to talk to the Doctor. "From unscheduled conversations to gifts from the outside, you've been taking advantage of our generosity."

"Generosity!" Elizabeth spat out. "You keep me here under ridiculous pretense and threaten me daily, and expect me to be grateful?" Her hands tightened into fists as she walked up to him and stared up into his eyes. "Hope that my mad sister retains her throne for a long time, Rochfort…for my memory is long and my brand of revenge most sweet."

He stepped back and narrowed his eyes at Elizabeth. "Her majesty feels most generous in letting you remain alive, lady. In fact, since your lover Sir Wyatt is due to meet his fate in the morning, she thought you might appreciate being moved to a new cell…one that provided a suitable view for what could be your own fate unless you behave!" With a snap of his fingers the door opened and two guards came in to flank her. "Escort her to her new home, gentlemen. She won't be needing her things…" with a nonchalant flip of his handkerchief he walked out of the room and down the hall past a disheveled Kat trying to straighten her blouse as she ran to her lady's room.

As she got to the door the guards pushed her out of the way to escort Elizabeth out of the cell. She glanced at Kat's tousled hair and disheveled clothes and quickly put two and two together. "So you've betrayed me too?" she asked angrily. "It seems that now you will have ample time to cavort with your lover instead of tending to your lady."

"No, milady! Please!" Kat begged as the guards took Elizabeth down the hall.

She looked over her shoulder and called out, "If you should see the Doctor again, do be sure to tell him the error in his lessons, would you? Love means nothing in this world…power is the only thing that gets things done!"

With a slam of the hallway door Kat was left alone with her tears. "I'm so sorry, milady…I'm so sorry!"

* * *

Martha turned around slowly and pressed back against the door as far as she could as the lone guard in the room smiled lasciviously and leaned in towards her, his hands against the door. She turned her head in distaste as the stale smell of bad breath and ale wafted towards her. "Pardon me, sir…I was sent to clean the common room."

He laughed in her face and Martha's eyes began to water from the odor. "Clean? We haven't had someone clean this room in ages, girl! Besides…I don't see your bucket!"

She laughed nervously. "I just wanted to see how bad the place was before I got my things…" She slowly inched her hand into her apron pocket to feel the comforting shape of her sonic screwdriver.

"Nah…methinks you just wanted to come and keep ol' Charlie company!" He leaned in farther as if to nuzzle her neck, and Martha's eyes rolled. _All right…that does it! _She reached up to place her hands on his shoulders and with a jerk of her knee into his crotch the guard was instantly thinking of something more important than her.

He groaned and fell away from her, giving her the chance she needed to grab her screwdriver from her apron and use the stun on the hapless guard. He fell to the ground in a heap and Martha carefully stepped over him to get the coat. She grabbed it and began rolling it up as best as she could so that she could hide it under her skirts. _There…a little awkward…but I think I can manage. _

"I'd apologize for the stun…but this time I think you deserved it," she muttered as she stepped over the prone guard.

She pulled the door open a crack and checked both ways to make sure the coast was clear before she left the room and quietly closed the door behind her. _All right…part one is done! Now to find Jimmy and Kat for the rest…_


	7. Chapter 7

* * *

Martha nearly stumbled over Kat as she hurried down the hall of the Bell Tower. She was focused on getting the Doctor's coat back to him, and didn't see the sobbing girl huddled on the floor. 

"Woah!" she exclaimed wide-eyed as she slapped her hand against the wall and stopped short. "Oh my God, Kat! Are you okay?" Her doctor's instincts quickly kicked in as she knelt down next to her to see if she was injured.

"Oh, Martha!" Kat cried as she launched herself into her arms to hug her tight. "Milady…she…she dismissed me because she found out about…about Jimmy…Jimmy and me!" she explained between sobs.

Martha's face fell into an expression of sympathy for the unlucky girl. "I'm so sorry, Kat. Are you going to be okay?" She wrapped her arm around Kat's shoulders and gently helped the girl off the cold floor of the hallway.

"I don't know…there's nothing left for me here at the Tower, now. Jimmy, he…well…" she blushed and continued, "he took a job at the Tower so he could be near me, so without my position with milady there's no real reason for us to stay here. I don't know where I'm going to get a job now!"

Martha's eyes widened as if a light bulb lit above her head. "Have you tried _The Treasure Trove_? I've met some really nice people who I'm sure would be able to help you out…they've got a family business of inns They might even be able to find jobs for the both of you!"

Martha smiled warmly at Kat, and Kat slowly returned the smile as she calmed down. "Oh thank you! I have to tell Jimmy!"

"Actually, I need to talk to you and Jimmy together, Kat. There's something I need you both to help me with before we can all get on with our lives. I've just got to speak to the Doctor, first…" She took Kat's hand in hers and they walked down the hall to the Doctor's cell. Martha rose to her tip toes to look through the bars of the cell door and called out. "Doctor?"

"Ahh! Martha!" he exclaimed with a large grin as his face suddenly appeared on the other side of the door, causing her to step back in wide-eyed surprise. "I couldn't help overhearing your caring counsel to our friend there." He nodded towards Kat as his wild smile changed to an expression of concern. "Are you all right? The guards told me what happened to Elizabeth when I came back in from morning exercises."

Kat nodded meekly and smiled slightly. "Thank you for your concern, sir. Your friend Martha has been very kind."

The Doctor smiled warmly. "It's the only way my Martha knows how to be." He looked up from Kat to wink at Martha, and her heart swelled.

"Gah! Almost forgot, didn't I?" Martha exclaimed suddenly as she bent down to reach under her skirts.

The Doctor's eyebrow shot up curiously. "Umm…Martha? What are you…"

"Ta-Da!" she said as she stood up and whipped out the Doctor's overcoat from underneath her skirts, causing his face to light up in joy. "You might want to wash it after the guards played with it…but otherwise it should be intact."

She started feeding it through the bars of the door and the Doctor soon grabbed the other end to pull it through to his side. He quickly rummaged through his pockets and pulled out his screwdriver and TARDIS key. "Excellent! I'll get to working on getting our ride out of here, and…"

"I'll work on getting you out tonight," Martha finished his sentence and stood on tip-toe as she reached her fingers through the bars in the door. He dropped his coat and reached his long fingers through the bars to gently stroke hers.

_Be careful, Martha. I'm not worth getting hurt over. _

She sighed and scolded him with her eyes. _Yes…you are…when will you accept that? Don't worry, though…after a year of evading Toclafane, a few English guardsmen shouldn't be much trouble. _

She winked and the Doctor smiled crookedly. _I mean it, Martha. I wouldn't be able to forgive myself if something happened_. His fingers tightened against hers, and her smile dropped as she read the open emotions roiling behind his eyes: sadness, self-hatred, love and hope.

"Doctor….I…" she whispered.

He cleared his throat and nodded towards the door in the hallway as he released her hand. "Go on now…we've all got work to do." As Martha drew a breath to reply, he said "We'll talk after we get out of here…I promise."

Her mouth closed and he could hear the forced exhale of breath from her nose as she looked at him in concern. "Okay. I'm going to start the distraction after this evening's dinner bell. Everyone should be relatively preoccupied then." She looked to Kat. "We still need to find Jimmy so that we can the Doctor some clothes that fit so that he doesn't stand out from the crowd."

Kat did her best to judge the Doctor's height after seeing Martha stand next to him and thought. Her face lit up as she said, "It shouldn't be a bad fit at all…though I think Jimmy might be a wee bit rounder in the tum' if you know what I mean. Too much ale with the guards and all…" she finished in a whisper.

"Fantastic!" Martha replied. "Can you and Jimmy meet me with the clothes in the courtyard before dinner?"

Kat nodded. "I'll see you then!" she said as she hurried down the hallway and out the door to find her boyfriend.

"There you go making me look forward to that horrible soup again," the Doctor admonished.

"Tonight will be the last of it, I swear," she answered with a small laugh. "I'll see you soon, yeah?" He nodded and smiled in encouragement as she turned and exited the hallway.

Once the door closed behind her he sighed and leaned back against the door of his cell as he slowly slid down to the ground. He idly reached out and grabbed his coat from the floor to tug it into his lap and glance at it as he thought about how Martha managed to get it to him. "You get all the fun."

* * *

The hours couldn't pass quick enough for Martha as she went through her daily duties working in the Bell Tower. When she finally got a break after sweeping out the cells on the first floor, she brushed her hands on her apron and walked out into the courtyard. She smiled as she closed her eyes and turned her face to the sun, soaking in the rays that are so scarce when you're in the tower. 

"Martha!" a voice hollered across the yard. She opened her eyes to see Jimmy jogging towards her with a full sack in his hands.

"Jimmy!" she exclaimed as he came to a stop in front of her. "Did you get them?"

"Right here!" he replied as he handed Martha the sack and grinned widely. "I don't blame you for doing what you're doing…Kat told me of your help in finding us new jobs after all this. I can't thank you enough."

"You've done plenty, believe me!" Martha said with a grateful smile as she took the sack from him and peered inside to see the shirt and breeches within. "I'll get these to him during dinner…but we'll need to time the distraction so that there's enough confusion around here without anyone getting hurt." Martha began gnawing at her lip as she thought about what she was doing. "We can do this without getting anyone hurt, right?"

Jimmy wrapped his arm around Martha's shoulders and hugged her to his side. "Kat wasn't lying when she said you were a nice one. Don't you worry yourself, because we've got it covered. I traded duties today with Peter so I could work in the stables, and I've already gathered some damp wood and hay that will smolder like you wouldn't believe. There should be plenty of smoke to scare them, and it will burn nice and slow so they should have plenty of time to put it out. I'll even let the horses loose to add to the confusion, and that way they won't get hurt either. How does that sound?"

Martha grinned in relief and gave Jimmy a hug. "It sounds perfect! This would've been so much harder without you guys…thank you!" Suddenly the bell rang atop the Bell Tower to signal the dinner hour. "Oh crap…I've got to get back to dinner duty!" She grabbed the sack of clothes and quickly ran towards the Bell Tower.

"Get a move on, girl!" barked one of the guards as he opened the door to the tower. "You're late!"

"I know…I know…" muttered Martha as she raised her skirts slightly and leapt up the stairs to the 2nd floor two at a time. She ran down the hallway and stopped short of going into the kitchen just long enough to catch her breath and tie the sack to her belt so it would hang underneath her skirts.

She walked in and smiled apologetically at the grimacing cook who waved a wooden spoon at the mush of the day. She picked up the heavy bucket with a grunt of satisfaction as she knew this would be the last time she'd have to smell the offending soup. _Gods…at least I didn't have to eat it. No wonder he's been ribbing me about it…_

Time passed and the bucket became blissfully lighter as she went about her dinner duties. Eventually they came to the Doctor's hallway, and she had to fight her eagerness to get into the cell to see him. She could hear the sounds of sniffing coming from his cell as she moved closer.

"Pea soup again? Oh…this won't do. You must tell the manager that they need a new cook…"

Martha did her best not to laugh as the guard rolled his eyes and thumbed towards the cell. "Crazy fool…give me a shout when you're done in there."

Martha nodded, and the guard unlocked the door to let her into the cell. She shuffled in with her bucket and began ladling the soup as the guard locked the door behind her.

Martha looked up at the Doctor as he moved to the door. _Is the coast clear?_

He looked out to spy the guard leaning against the wall in a corner and pulling his pipe from his doublet. _It looks like our guard has invented the smoke break…we're clear. _He turned back to see the look of hard determination on Martha's face as she pulled out the sack of clothes and hid them underneath the lone bench in the cell. He sighed as he thought back to when they first met…how blissfully ignorant of the world's horrors she used to be.

_There…if you put these on when you escape you should be able to go unnoticed. _Martha stood up and brushed her hands on her apron. When she turned around she lost all thought as the Doctor cupped her face in his cool hands and bent down to gently brush his lips against hers.

_I'm sorry, Martha._As he finished the kiss his fingers traced her chin and down her neck before resting on her shoulders, and he rested his forehead against hers.

_What…for our latest mess? This has been no bother, really. Why, I…_she leaned back and looked at him questioningly.

_For everything. _He looked at her with a sad smile.

She looked at him in silence for a moment as her eyes began to tear. She quickly reached up to rub her eyes with the back of her hand as she let out a brief laugh of disbelief. _For a Time Lord you've got horrible timing, you know that? _She stood on her tip toes and planted a quick kiss on his lips before he could protest. _Not that I haven't been waiting months to hear that…but let's get out of here so you can say it proper, 'kay?_

Suddenly they could hear the guard coughing from the hall and Martha knew her time was up. She stepped back from the Doctor and knocked on the door. "I'm done." She could hear the jangling of keys as the guard unlocked the cell door. She looked back to the Doctor and smiled. _See you soon?_

He smiled back crookedly as he placed his hands in his pockets and rocked back and forth on his feet. _See you soon, Martha Jones._

* * *

Martha hurried down the tower stairs with the now blessedly lighter food bucket and dropped it off in the kitchen before heading back out to the courtyard. The sun was now setting and workers were beginning to take down wall lamps to light them. She strolled nonchalantly towards the stables and it wasn't long before she thought she could smell smoke. _Way to go, Jimmy!_ As she got closer to investigate Kat waved to her from some benches near the east wall.

" Martha! There you are…come join me and enjoy this beautiful sunset!" Kat kicked her feet back and forth as she looked up with a smile and admired the streaks of orange and purple that colored the sky. As Martha came closer she grasped her wrist and tugged her gently to sit down beside her. "You don't want to be too close to the stables right now," she whispered as she leaned towards her.

Suddenly there was a raucous noise from the stables and the double doors burst open with a bang. Gray smoke billowed out in waves as the horses inside charged out in a panic.

"Showtime!" Martha said with a grin as she squeezed Kat's hand. She got up from the bench and ran over to the alarm bell hanging from the wall. "Fire! Fire!" she shouted as she reached up and tugged the bell rope with all the weight of her small frame.

"Quickly… get the horses under control! We need more help!" Kat exclaimed as she ran around the courtyard to gather people.

More alarm bells began to ring and people began to gather in the courtyard thanks to Kat, so Martha took it as her cue to make sure the Doctor was on his way. As she ran up the stairs to the tower again she could feel the muscles in her calves complaining. _Next planet…no stairs! _As she reached the floor of the Doctor's cell she burst through the door and gasped breathlessly to the two guards in the hall. "There's a fire in the stables! Horses are getting everywhere and people are panicking…the watch sergeant sent me up to get all the help we can!" The guards looked at each other doubtfully. "Please! We need all the help we can get with the bucket line!" She tugged at the sleeve of one of them and as the echoes of the warning bells reached them he soon gave in to her pleas and ran down the stairs.

Unfortunately for Martha, the other guard wasn't quite as believing. "I can't just go and leave my post, can I? Someone has to stay and watch the prisoners…" he replied as he wrung his hands around his spear nervously and paced the hall.

_Damn it!_ Martha took a deep breath as her hand delved into her pocket for her sonic screwdriver. "That's okay…I'm sure you'll be commended for sticking to it when they find you."

"You think? Wait…what?" The guard turned around in surprise as the stunning beam from Martha's screwdriver knocked him unconscious and he fell to the ground.

"Sorry about that, mate," she grunted as she heaved his unconscious body to slouch on a stool in the corner of the hallway. "I hope you have a nice nap."

As she turned to the Doctor's cell she could hear the familiar sound of his sonic screwdriver unlocking the door. "Voila!" he exclaimed as he opened the door and stepped into the hallway. Martha's eyes widened noticeably as she stared at the Doctor dressed in the peasant clothes that Jimmy supplied. He looked at her and then down at his shirt. "What?"

She shook her head and smiled as she replied, "I'm just not used to seeing you dressed in anything other than tight suits."

"It's not exactly the height of English fashion," the Doctor agreed as grasped Martha's hand in his, "but it will do. Let's get back to the TARDIS so we can both slip into something more comfortable." He winked cheekily at her as he pulled out his key from under his shirt to hang freely. "Shall we, Doctor Jones?"

Martha pulled out her own TARDIS key and grinned in relief at the feeling of having the Doctor once again by her side. "We certainly shall, Doctor Smith!"

With a tug on his hand she led them down the tower stairs and into the courtyard. The stables were still smoking but thankfully no flames were visible as a line of people had formed to pass buckets of water from the well to help put it out. Martha quickly scanned the area until she spied Jimmy and Kat near the castle gates with the now gathered and relatively calm horses. "Come on, there's some people you need to meet before we get out of here," she said as she ran up to them.

"Jimmy! Kat! I wanted you to meet the Doctor before we left…thank you again for your help!"

The Doctor grinned widely as he shook their hands vigorously. "I seem to have much to thank you two for. Can we offer you a ride out of here?"

"Thank you sir, but I think we'll be fine." Jimmy answered as he wrapped an arm around Kat's shoulders and looked to her with a smile.

"I wish you both the best…and tell Evelyn I can't thank her enough for her help when you see her," Martha told Kat as she took her hands in hers and squeezed them gently.

Kat reached forward and wrapped Martha in a hug. "I will! I'll miss you!"

"I'll miss you too, Kat!" Martha replied as her eyes began to tear up.

"Ahh…we'll see you all again before you know it!" The Doctor assured them as he removed his key from around his neck and pulled out his screwdriver. His tongue stuck out slightly as he concentrated the beam on the TARDIS key. Soon the familiar sounds of the TARDIS could be heard as it materialized in the far corner of the courtyard. "There we go! Now let me hear it, Martha…what am I?" He grinned at her as he bounced up and down.

Martha rolled her eyes and smiled. "You're bloody brilliant!" She wrapped her arms around him and hugged him tight.

"Martha….you two aren't witches, are you?" Kat asked nervously as she thought about the Doctor's strange devices.

"Positively not!" the Doctor replied. "Real witches won't have another appearance in England for another…" Martha elbowed him in the side and he tugged his ear in chagrin as he continued, "Well…what I mean to say…is that we're no harm to anyone."

"Right, and it's time for us to go home. Take care, you guys!" She quickly hugged them both and the Doctor leaned down to whisper in her ear when she finished.

"Race you!"

Martha turned around to speak to reply, but the Doctor was already running across the courtyard towards the TARDIS. "No fair….your legs are longer!" she called out before turning back to Jimmy and Kat. "Bye…I'll see you again, I promise!" She then grabbed her skirts and ran with all her might.


	8. Chapter 8

**Warning**: This chapter has **graphic sex descriptions**...be warned!

* * *

By the time the doors of the TARDIS closed behind Martha the Doctor was already waiting by the console. "About time you got here!" he said teasingly as he de-materialized the TARDIS.

"Don't even start…." Martha warned as she walked past the console toward her room. "I'm going to go take a shower and change….I've had enough of hefting all these skirts around. I imagine you'll soon be back in your usual suit?"

He spread his arms and turned in a circle. "What…the peasant look isn't 'in'?"

"In the 16th Century, maybe…but I prefer you in something much more …fitting." She smiled seductively at him before walking down the hallway, not realizing that she had left the Doctor speechless for once.

_Oh boy…_

He flicked a few controls on the TARDIS and parked it around a nice quiet binary star system before he sat back in the Captain's chair to rub his chin in thought. Martha had already confirmed his long silent hope that she didn't regret coming with him…but he couldn't deny how much pain and trouble he had put her through. It was time he gave her something back….but what?

He pulled the monitor to him and began scrolling through the planetary database of the TARDIS. _Sense Sphere? No….they don't take kindly to visitors anymore. Cheetah Planet?_ He briefly entertained the thought of Martha with cat's eyes before shaking his head vigorously. _No..no…Martha's exotic looking enough. Chimera IV? I wonder if she likes Greek mythology at all. Oooh...Biblios! With an inquisitive brain like hers, I'm sure access to all the data in the known universe would definitely be a draw._

Suddenly the screen began scrolling by itself until it stopped on the index for Earth.

"Oh come on…we just left there!" he answered in disbelief as he leaned back and gestured at the screen.

_Earth-Late 16__th__ Century-England-La Belle Sauvage_

"No way…I'll be regenerating before you know it if we go back to the place that got us in trouble in the first place!" He launched himself out of the chair and paced back and forth before the monitor beeped at him.

_In the year 1578, La Belle Sauvage is now owned by James & Katrina Mercer. She wants to see them again. She needs to know that you won't forget the people who helped you; she needs to know you won't forget __**her.**_

He sighed in resignation because he knew the TARDIS was right. He was so used to keeping his connections with people brief to protect himself from the loss of them that he knew would always come…but with Martha he found he just couldn't live like that anymore. Whether it was her doctor's training or her generally compassionate personality, she cared for everyone she met, whether she knew them for an hour or a year. The pain will still be there as people come and go…but maybe with his doctor by his side it wouldn't be so bad.

"Okay…but after that we're going to Biblios!" He wagged a finger at the monitor and the lights in the console room flared briefly in triumph. He smiled to himself as he programmed the coordinates into the TARDIS and was soon walking down the hall to hopefully join Martha in the shower.

* * *

Martha rolled her neck slowly as the pulsing hot water from the shower head massaged her muscles. "God…I've never been so grateful for running water…" A quiet knock on the door let her know her solitude was at an end.

"Martha? Are you done with your shower yet?"

She rolled her eyes before opening the shower door a crack and exclaiming, "No, I'm not, and there better be a life or death emergency going on if you're trying to get me out of it!"

He stepped back from the door and thought for a moment. "With a time machine, there's always a life or death situation going on somewhere, isn't there?" he called out questioningly.

Martha fumed and was about to tell him where he could stick his emergencies when the door opened and he peeked his head through to interrupt her. "Actually, I was hoping you weren't done so I could join you?"

"Oh!" her eyes widened in surprise as she felt the blush spreading across her cheeks. "Um…yeah…of course!" He grinned as he entered the bathroom and began removing his borrowed clothes.

Martha couldn't help but admire his lean and muscular frame._ It's such a shame he likes to keep it hidden with those suits and baggy coats…maybe we can go somewhere where men aren't allowed to wear clothes next? _She giggled at the thought as the Doctor quickly stepped into the shower and closed the door behind him.

"Ahh…" he moaned as she stepped aside to allow the hot water to hit him. "Blessed indoor plumbing…" he ran his hands through his hair and leaned back to let the water cascade over him and down his chest.

Martha picked up a bar of soap and her tongue shot out to lick her lips as she watched him. "So…hard to stay clean in there, was it? Wasn't much easier outside of the prison cell either…"

"Not exactly the most hygienic period in Earth's history, to be sure. At least we weren't on Blarghast; they actually outlaw soap…" his words faded as he suddenly felt Martha's soapy hands caress his chest.

"That would be a shame, wouldn't it?" Martha said as she stepped closer to him, her body pressed against his and hands sliding up to stroke that sensitive area of his between neck and collarbone. "They don't know what they're missing…"

He swallowed as he looked down at Martha smiling seductively at him. "Crying shame…" he whispered as he bent down to brush his lips against hers, his hands coming up to rest on her hips as he held her slippery body to his.

Her fingers slid up to stroke his neck and he moaned in pleasure before deepening the kiss, his hands gently cupping her cheeks. He stepped forward out of the water spray and slowly backed Martha against the wall of the shower before breaking the kiss. "Don't want to waste these suds, do we?" he smiled rakishly before sliding down her body, the soap suds rubbing off onto her breasts and belly before he ended up on his knees before her. She bit her lip in anticipation of his next move, her fingers running through his spiky hair.

He leaned forward and exhaled against her folds, his cool breath sending shivers down Martha's spine as her body heat all suddenly pooled between her legs. His hands caressed her hips as he nuzzled her gently, his tongue stretching out to delve into her, tasting her juices before stroking upwards to flick against her sensitive clit. Her legs trembled as she gripped his shoulders tight. "Oh…God…"

The Doctor leaned back and smiled. "Nope…just me." His tongue returned to stroke her interior folds and Martha moaned in pleasure. His left hand moved from her hip to stroke her inner thighs before she could feel one of his long fingers teasing her entrance.

When it slid inside her he sucked her clit into his mouth and she cried out, "Doctor…please…" before her legs crumpled and she slipped down, driving his finger deep inside her. Suddenly the orgasm that had been building spilled over and she cried out incoherently as he lapped up her warm juices with his tongue and her body twitched with every stroke.

When he finished he held Martha's hips and gently lowered her into a crouch over his lap as she held onto his shoulders. She felt the tip of his hard member brushing against her damp folds and whimpered softly.

"Okay?" he whispered before nibbling gently on her earlobe.

"Yes-s-s-s…"

Her moan of acquiescence built in volume as his throbbing hardness gradually filled her. When she adjusted to his size she moved experimentally and elicited a groan of pleasure from the Doctor. His hands cupped her firm bottom and helped lift her as she moved her body up and down his cock, the strokes becoming longer as she raised herself to the tip of him before slamming back down to his base.

He wove his fingers through her hair and kissed her roughly as the speed of his thrusts increased. His tongue stroked the inside of her mouth and Martha could taste herself on his lips as she moved her hips to keep up with him, her hands moving up into his hair with her thumbs stroking his temples.

"Martha…" he moaned against her lips as he drew back from their passionate kiss to catch his breath. "I can't stop…"

She could feel her own orgasm building again with each thrust inside her. She could barely focus enough to speak so she thought instead: _Come with me, Theta…_

He growled and ground his lips against hers as he thrust into her with increased vigor. Martha suddenly moaned loudly into his mouth as her hips bucked against his. He felt her tight folds clench his cock as she came for the second time, which plunged his own orgasm over the edge.

They rested their foreheads against each other as they slowly came back down to reality, and he kissed her gently. "Are you okay?" He carefully shifted her off his lap and helped her stand up as he made his way to his feet.

She rested her head against his chest as she took a deep breath. "Oh yeah…never better."

"Good," he said before kissing the top of her head and hugging her shoulders. "I've got somewhere I wanted to show you when you're done in the shower, if that's okay."

She raised her eyebrows in curiosity.

"No emergencies…no wars…just something I thought you should see," he reassured her before turning to rinse off.

She thought of how many times she'd heard that before…but gave in when she saw the look of excited anticipation in his eyes when he turned back to her. "Okay…I'll try not to take long."

He grinned and kissed the tip of her nose. "Excellent!" He opened the shower door a crack and grabbed a towel off the rack before wrapping it around himself and stepping out of the shower to dry off. He grabbed one of the robes hanging on the back of the bathroom door and donned it with a flourish. "I'll see you in the console room," he said, then left.

* * *

Twenty minutes later a refreshed and slightly damp Martha walked into the console room wearing a fresh pair of black jeans, suede black boots, and red spaghetti strap top. "So…where are we?"

The Doctor scolded her with his gaze. "That would ruin the surprise, wouldn't it?" He nodded towards the doors. "Why don't you see for yourself?"

She walked down the ramp as all sorts of possibilities ran through her mind of where they might be. She put her hands on the doors and took a deep breath before pushing them open to see green fields of long grass swaying in the breeze before the dirt road running in front of the inn where their latest adventure began. "I meant what I said about queens, you know…" she said over her shoulder as he came up behind her.

"You should know by now that first appearances can be deceiving, Martha. The surprise is _inside_…" he nudged her gently forward and closed the doors behind them as she walked to the inn. He quickly stepped up and opened the door for her with a flourish. "Ladies first…."

Martha smiled and shook her head as she walked into the inn. She could immediately detect a difference from the last time they were here. It felt like just yesterday when they walked into the nearly empty bar to encounter Thomas Wyatt, but this time there was a warm blaze in the fireplace as customers gathered around it with ales in hand. The sounds of conversations rang out as she squeezed between customers to make her way to the bar. She was about to order when the older blonde woman at the bar turned around. Her hair was longer and she had pronounced crow's feet when she smiled, but Martha could still recognize the woman. "Oh my God…Kat!" she exclaimed in joy.

Kat looked at her in confusion as it slowly dawned on her who she was. "It can't be…Martha?" She peered closer at her as Martha grinned and nodded happily. "By my soul…it _is_ you!" She moved down the bar and flipped a section of the counter up. "Come here and let me get a closer look at you…you haven't aged a bit!"

Martha hurried forward and swooped Kat up into a big hug. "I'm so glad to see you're doing okay….is Jimmy here?"

Kat stepped back and yelled over her shoulder towards a set of swinging doors. "Jimmy! Get your arse out here!"

"Oi, woman! I can only do one thing at a time…" he pushed through the doors and was about to continue his tirade when he spotted Martha and the Doctor. "Blessed be…never thought we'd see you two again!"

The Doctor stepped up and set the sack with Jimmy's clothes in it on the bar. "I had to return your clothes, didn't I? Besides…we needed to make sure you two we're doing all right."

"Thanks to Miss Martha we've been doing fine," Jimmy said proudly. "Evelyn helped us get jobs here years ago, and eventually when her Uncle passed she moved to run the Treasure Trove and we took over as caretakers here."

"I'm so glad!" Martha said as she wrapped them both in a hug. Out of the corner of her eye she could see the Doctor smiling at her.

_I love you, Martha Jones._

She smiled at him as she thought about what it took for him to do this for her.

_I know._

_finis_

But wait…there's an Epilogue to come! Thanks to everyone for sticking with my story and leaving your wonderful comments…they kept me writing! - Syreene


	9. Epilogue

**Epilogue**

A young boy frantically pushed through the morning crowd of shoppers and cutpurses of the London streets as he made his way to an extravagantly decorated carriage parked outside of one of the finer merchant houses. He fell to one knee and gasped heavily as he waited for the person within.

It wasn't long before his patience was rewarded by a contingent of nobles and armed guards exiting the building. One of the guards gazed at the boy in suspicion and soon walked up to him.

"You there, boy! State your business quickly, as the Queen does not take kindly to stragglers about her person."

"I've been sent to bring news to the Queen regarding Master Shakespeare and nasty goings-on at the Globe, sir! The Master of Revelries sent me to inform the Queen herself, considering what she did to Shakespeare the last time a woman was on the stage…"

"A woman?" roared the guard as he clenched his fist. "That pompous arse!"

"Do tell what events have caused my guards to curse so flagrantly in my presence, George." The guard's eyes bulged as he turned around to see Queen Elizabeth dressed in red and gold finery, and staring at him with her brow raised and arms crossed.

"M-m-ma'am…milady…your highness…" he stammered nervously as he gestured to the kneeling boy.

"Out with it then!"

The boy glanced up and saw that the George's tongue-tied condition wasn't going to improve anytime soon. He quickly removed a small scroll from his doublet and began reading from it. "The Master of Revelries has sent me to inform Your Highness that Master Shakespeare has not only once again been charged with employing women on his stage as well as unapproved and dangerous devices, but two strangers were witnessed on stage that Your Majesty has issued warrants for arrest for: one Doctor and Martha Jones."

"WHAT?" Elizabeth exclaimed in surprise. "Quickly then…what are we waiting for?" She climbed into her carriage hastily and leaned out the window. "George! Gather your guards and meet me at the Crown…I've got some old business to take care of!" George nodded speechlessly as the carriage took off in a cloud of dust down the street.

Elizabeth smiled evilly from her carriage as she looked out at the people passing by. "I can't imagine having a nicer day," she said to herself as she let the window curtain fall and she leaned back into the cushioned seat. "Not only do I get to berate Shakespeare for breaking the (albeit stupid and outdated) rules again, but I get to have my revenge on the 'good' Doctor. I tried to listen to his words…by God did I try…and what did it get me? What did _love_ get me?" She clenched her hands and grimaced. "Days of verbal torture, all amenities taken from me along with my pride, and a front row seat to a fool's hanging, that's what!"

She closed her eyes and took a deep calming breath before opening them again. "Every time I tried to love, more punishment was heaped upon me for being such a fool. I tried to love Dudley…he'd been so close to my family for so long…" she quickly wiped a tear away with her handkerchief. "But then his fool wife had to die and once again, I was the center of a scandal!" She clenched her handkerchief tightly in her fist. "I've learned the hard lessons of God that purity is the only way, and that your words were that of the Devil, Doctor…and now I will do God's work by halting that tongue... permanently!"

Martha could feel the beginnings of a blush creep over her cheeks as Shakespeare gazed at her intently from their seat on the stage prop bench. _Sure…he's not the Doctor…but like he said, the man's a genius, right? And besides…maybe I can make the Doctor jealous…_

Shakespeare lifted his hand and gently caressed Martha's cheek with the back of it as he leaned in towards her. "Shall I compare thee to a summer's day? Thou art more lovely and more temperate…"

She did her best not to visibly cringe as the odors from his mouth reached her nose. _Okay…scratch that…_ "I'm incredibly flattered, Will…I really am…but your breath? It stinketh." She leaned back and smiled apologetically.

He dropped his hand and smiled back. "I shant let odorous breath stand in the way of beautiful inspiration…in fact…" He was interrupted suddenly as two men from his acting troupe ran up to the stage.

"Will! She's coming! She's coming!"

He rolled his eyes as he looked at them, none too pleased for the interruption. "Who's coming, you daft gits? Can't you see I'm busy?"

"The Queen, Will! She heard about what happened with the play last night and now she's coming to see for herself!"

The double doors of the Globe slammed open with a bang as a contingent of armed guards marched through and stood at attention along the walls. Queen Elizabeth strode in, a look of grim determination on her face. She sneered as she raised a hand and pointed at the stage. "Doctor! Finally I can have revenge against my sworn enemy! Off with his head!" The guards along the wall gripped their spears firmly and charged the stage as others began prepping bows.

Martha gaped at the scene spreading out before her as she stood and started backing away from the guards. "Doctor?"

"What?" he exclaimed in surprise at Elizabeth's words. "What?"

"Doctor! Come on!" Martha grabbed his hand and pulled him along as they ran down the stage stairs and out the door. This was just her second trip, and she didn't want to end it as a pincushion!

She could tell by the stampeding sounds behind them that the guards were still following them as they ran down the street. She put her hands out just in time to keep herself from slamming into the TARDIS as the Doctor fumbled for his key. "Just what did you do to the Queen?" She asked in worried curiosity as she watched the guards lift their bows. "Anytime now…" she muttered.

Suddenly the door clicked and the Doctor smiled at his success as he swung the door open and ushered Martha first into the safety of the TARDIS. "I don't know," he replied as he stepped through the door, then turned back to grin at the guards. "I look forward to finding out, though…"


End file.
